The Canadian Peregrine
Foundation

Project Track-'em: Lightning

Lightning
in the "Valley of Death"

Translated by Marcel
Gahbauer
from an article in Listin Diario
(March 16, 2002)

The
peregrine falcon "Lightning", after having migrated to the Dominican
Republic from Canada, had visited La
Vega, Hato Mayor, San Francisco de Macorís, Navarrete, and Santiago, drawing
the attention of citizens in those cities, and before this was in Cuba.

EDITORIAL

Since "in" and "out" stopped being terms used to
differentiate new or out of date things, it is "light" which has come
to be the superlative of all good qualities. Now all is
"light". In diets, light marks the seal of a product with few
calories that will help people lose weight. Even in the world of art, we
have the phenomenon of "light" characterizing hybrids between
different styles. And in popular art, as in folklore, a dance or type of
music can be light according to its rhythm.

We don't yet know if politicians can be "light", as they are
neither one nor the other. Politics is so rigid that except with rare
exceptions nothing anti-political is permitted. The "light"
therefore would be one of these exceptions.

All of this is nothing more than an excuse to speak about the already famous
one, the falcon "Lightning" that has created a tremendous reaction
since its unexpected appearance in San Francisco de Macorís. The animal
has caught the attention and appreciation of the public, but also caused
indignation for eating other birds without consideration for the way people feel
about them.

In Santiago, a crowd attacked and brought a Red-tailed Hawk (guaraguao) to
the ground, confusing it with the falcon. The guaraguao, which is neither
a falcon nor an eagle, was too intelligent; too "light" to be at the
centre of such a situation, and flew right to the headquarters of the police
where it was rescued.

While it was in San Francisco de Macorís, during one of its most prolonged
stopovers since it left Canada, the falcon Lightning did not provoke reactions
of such a nature. In Santiago, it would seem that things are different. Be
it falcon or guaraguao, in this "Valley of Death" ultimately only the
eagles reign.